1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to the reduction of NO.sub.x emissions and, in particular, to a new and useful apparatus and method for reducing NO.sub.x levels in a boiler such as a fuel-fired package boiler using atomizing steam injection according to a pre-programmed NO.sub.x control curve.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In the gas turbine industry, it is well-known that steam injection reduces NO.sub.x levels produced by gas-fired units. Steam injection is a widely accepted and well-proven technology for achieving NO.sub.x reduction.
However, with respect to natural gas-fired boilers, no adequate control systems and methods which include atomizing steam rates have been established to the inventors' knowledge.